Canadian party leaders to debate

Canadian federal party leaders will take part in a debate today ahead of a snap federal election to elect members of the House of Commons on September 20.

The debate is expected to cover a variety of topics including climate, cultural identity, cost of living, foreign policy and the pandemic. Today’s debate will likely feature a continuation of last week’s showdown between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole in which Trudeau faced pushback from O’Toole for calling an election in the middle of the pandemic.

Because polls show the Conservatives maintaining a narrow lead over the Liberals, expect Trudeau to go on the offensive against O’Toole and seek to regain his electoral footing. Expect Trudeau to test O’Toole on his climate proposals, including the Conservatives’ position on any potential pipelines through Quebec. Meanwhile, expect O’Toole to challenge Trudeau’s spending platform, which has outlined approximately $5.5 billion in new commitments, on top of hundreds of billions spent through the pandemic. Both candidates will seek to seize the moment ahead of another debate on Thursday.

Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.